The Albany Museum of Art has a pair of upcoming Saturday workshops for area residents interested in learning fiber and papercut art forms.
 
Local artist Lisa Cosper will lead the first class, a Fiber Art Workshop set for 10 am –  3 pm on April 13, 2019 at the AMA.
 
Utilizing found materials, participants will experiment with basic weaving processes to create a fun, one-of-a-kind wall hanging.
 
“Fiber art is one of the latest trends, and Lisa has a wealth of knowledge about it,” Chloe Hinton, director of Education and Public Programming for the museum, said. “Participants are welcome to bring their favorite yarns and fabrics for the workshop to help make their pieces unique. Lisa also will be providing some materials for workshop participants to work with.”
 
Cosper, who is self-taught in the art form, has been creating fiber art for about three years, initially making pieces for family and friends. “My friends encouraged me to start selling, so I started doing consignment pieces,” she said.
 
Participants don’t need any experience to take the workshop, she said.
 
”I’ll provide yarn and different fibers and a loom,” Cosper said. “I’ll show them how to work the loom and I’ll show them some techniques they can use so they can make their own wall hangings. They don’t have to have any experience at all. I’ve had a lot of interest in it from people who have been asking how I got started.”
 
The workshop is a good way to do that. Participants “don’t have to have a plan” for what they will create, Cosper said, noting she does not draw out designs in advance of starting a piece. “It’s easy to pick up and there are a lot of different techniques you can use to get the look you want,” she said.
 
The cost for Cosper’s workshop is $65 for AMA members or $75 for non-members. There will be a lunch break during the class. This class is geared toward adults and older teens.
 
Cosper added that she was excited to see different types of art workshops being offered at the AMA. “You can learn how to express yourself through different ways,” she said.
 
Her Fiber Art Workshop will be followed on April 20 with On the Knife’s Edge, a papercut workshop that will be conducted from 10 am-noon at the AMA.
 
That class will be led by Atlanta artist Jerushia Graham, whose exhibition Undercurrents opens April 18 in the AMA’s East Gallery. Graham also will lead a tour of her exhibition, which will feature large-scale papercuts, fabric works and prints.
 
Participants in On the Knife’s Edge must be at least 18 years old. They will be guided through the process of designing and cutting their own papercuts.
 
 “Papercutting has been an art form for centuries,” Hinton said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to learn techniques from an exhibiting artist.”
 
Graham is the museum coordinator for the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta.  She earned an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa., and BFA degrees in Fabric Design and Printmaking from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Today, Graham exhibits both nationally and internationally.
 
She was previously the education director for Atlanta Printmakers Studio, and has served as an arts professor for Kennesaw State University, the University of West Georgia, and the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur.
 
The cost for Graham’s workshop is $25 for AMA members or $30 for non-members.
 
Call the AMA at 229.439.8400 to reserve a spot.